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Glass manufacturers in Ireland

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  • 11-09-2022 1:03pm
    #1
    michael345
    Registered Users Posts: 34 ✭


    Was thinking if Ireland has any mass production of glass bottles and containers at all or it's recycled/produced abroad.



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    #2
    michael345
    Registered Users Posts: 34 ✭michael345


    I mean- glass production facilities



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    #3
    blackbox
    Registered Users Posts: 4,158 ✭✭✭blackbox


    Encirc co Fermanagh.



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    #4
    zg3409
    Registered Users Posts: 6,597 ✭✭✭zg3409


    In the UK a lot of "recycled" glass bottles are used as lower fill for roads, as in not made back into bottles. The UK has a total oversupply of wine glass bottles that come in from other countries so much of the glass is not sorted by colour (even if you put it into the green glass bin), in Dublin some bin companies mix glass colours into specific glass only bin, so I assume none of that ends up being bottles again.

    Road fill does make sense as it's hard and prevents digging up stone and crushing it.

    The whole recycling industry struggles to even break even on recycling, glass is heavy and cheap to produce, and mainly needed where wine is made, soft plastics and black bin waste is often burned in ringsend in Dublin or in limerick ex cement plant. The heat generated is mostly wasted and got rid by heating seawater.


    I suspect very little glass is shipped abroad.



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    #5
    Sam Russell
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 19,418 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sam Russell


    When making glass. recycled glass is essential - glass cannot be made without some crushed glass in the mix. The more there is, the less energy is required to make the glass.

    As to colour, the cheapest colour is green, and is generally used for beer bottles, and colour does not generally matter. Clear glass needs to have clear glass going into it. Brown glass, particularly dark brown, is quite expensive to make. The blue glass is the most expensive, and that is why it is not usual to see much of it.

    There are some sorting machines that can separate glass at the particle level so the bottles can be mixed, but is much easier if they are not mixed.

    There is international trade in crushed glass because it is necessary to make any glass, and because it reduces the energy required, it makes the finished glass cheaper to produce.



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